Council green lights three new affordable housing projects

By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on February 27, 2025.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

Lethbridge city council on Tuesday gave the green light to three new affordable housing projects that were recommended for approval by its Economic and Finance Standing Policy Committee on Feb. 13.

That committee consists of the mayor and all members of council.

The motion to approve the projects was contained in the consent agenda.

The SPC recommended that city council allocate $500,000 from the Affordable and Social Housing Capital Fund to MyCityCare, $209,704.45 to the SettleEase Canada Foundation and $1,104,432.55 to the Green Acres Foundation.

Those recommendations are conditional to the organizations securing funding from provincial or federal sources equal to or greater than the City contribution, securement of the balance of project funding before June 30 of 2026 and the successful acquisition of development permits for projects.

The ASHCF presently has an available balance of $1,814,137, which a report to the SPC stated wasn’t enough to cover the funding requests from all four groups that sought monies, the other being the BIPOC Foundation which sought $686,466, a request which was not supported, primarily because it does not yet have land secured.

As she did at the Economic and Finance SPC, councillor Jenn Schmidt-Rempel declared a conflict of interest on the MyCityCare project which was voted on – and approved – separately.

Council also unanimously on Tuesday supported an official business motion presented by mayor Blaine Hyggen regarding housing for seniors.

In that motion, Hyggen asked for his colleagues to endorse Green Acres renovations to Garden View Lodge.

In response to a question from Schmidt-Rempel, the mayor told council the OBM was simply asking for an endorsement for the project with no City money involved.

The reason given for his motion is that the project “will increase the affordable housing opportunities for seniors, a priority population group identified in the City of Lethbridge’s Municipal Housing Strategy.”

The motion says Green Acres is funding and undertaking a project at the lodge to convert lodge suites that are under-utilized into self-contained apartments for seniors.